


Supergirl: Maelstrom

by BlackWaves



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DC Multiverse - Fandom, DC Universe, DCU, Supergirl (TV 2015), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: A lot of gay stuff, Action, Angst, Badass Kara Danvers, Badass Supergirl, Crazy Joker, Evil af Lex, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Kara and Lena are endgame, Lots of violence honestly, Morally corrupt good guys, Romance, Smut, fun for the whole family, get ready for gritty maybe bad Supergirl, lots of fighting, this is gunna be long and slow and I know youll love it, this is gunna be pretty epic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:07:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10024109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackWaves/pseuds/BlackWaves
Summary: The Joker hatches a plan to take down Batman, using the Supers and their emotional vulnerability. Supergirl fights for love and for family.





	1. Jailbreak

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, guys. This is the longest, most well-thought out story I've ever written. It's gunna be an epic ride. Strap on in folks. Don't worry about Kara not being in this chapter, it's all set-up for an amazing plot line. Kara Danvers is everyone's hero. 
> 
> (P.S. Lena Luthor is going to kick some serious ass eventually)

_**—Gotham City—** _

Rain mercilessly pounded Gotham, possible punishment for any number of the countless crimes that made up the soul of the city. Even so, Gotham shone relentlessly in the moonlight. Streetlights, neon signs, and car headlights helped illuminate almost everything. But there was still a lingering darkness that Gotham never could seem to shake off, even in the daytime. Black Canary sped through the slick streets on her motorcycle. It was late, and she was glad to be done for the day—even heroes needed a little down time. Though she was just passing through, she still couldn’t seem to subdue her hatred for Gotham. It was a dark place, even for her tastes. She sped her way west, feeling more relaxed the closer she got to abandoning the godforsaken city. Suddenly,

BOOM.

Black Canary cursed under her breath. She didn’t turn around, but she also didn’t make it 10 more meters before her earpiece crackled to life.

“Black Canary?” Cyborg’s deep but gentle voice came through.

“Nooo,” Canary griped. “Don’t tell me _I’m_ going to have to deal with this. Where’s Bat Boy?”

“He’s aiding Flash on a mission in Bangladesh. He won’t be back for at least two more days,” Cyborg ended his sentence more like a question, and Canary sighed.

“Alright,” She slowed down considerably, then whipped her motorcycle around. The tires gave a satisfying squeal. “What do I need to know?”

**—**

Rubble littered the streets within a five-block radius of the blast site. As Black Canary made her way closer to the point of detonation, she took in the damage, speeding cautiously by the innocent people unlucky enough to get caught in the madness. Her heart went out to them, but she used that energy to fuel the anger growing inside of her. She was going to rip whoever did this in half with her bare hands. She had been so close to getting into her bed, and now she’d have to haul someone’s wayward ass to the Watchtower for processing. And she had a good idea who that someone was. According to Cyborg, Gotham had been too quiet recently. Only one person would cause such senseless destruction out of nowhere. Her suspicions were confirmed once she made a final right turn onto the street of the original blast. She slowed to a stop a few meters away from the smug culprit who stood defiantly in the middle of the road, a bulky bag strapped to his back.

The Joker stood with a crazed grin on his pale face, but it quickly changed to a pronounced frown as he watched the slight figure dismount their motorcycle.

“You’re not Batman,” he stated simply.

“You know, some people take you for a genius,” Black Canary said, sliding off her helmet. “but you’re a lot stupider in person, aren’t you?”

The Joker threw back his head and laughed. Canary rolled her eyes. She really didn’t know how Batman dealt with this guy all the time. She couldn’t stand him already and it had only been five seconds of conversation.

“Sorry your boyfriend couldn’t make it out tonight,” She took a step forward and called out loudly enough for the Joker to hear over his own laughter. “He’s got a date with the Flash, I’m afraid. But I’d be happy to dance with you.” Black Canary placed her helmet on the seat of her bike and rolled her shoulders, preparing for action. She couldn’t deny that she loved a good fight no matter how tired she was. Adrenaline began pumping through her veins in anticipation. She was going to beat his smug face in.

“Oooh… so eager to finish so soon. Stay a while, won’t you?” The Joker took a few steps forward himself, shortening the distance between them. “Now I was going to try this out on Bats, but now I just feel silly.”

He slipped the large backpack off of his shoulders and bent down to unzip it. Struggling slightly, he finally pulled out a comically large aerosol container with the label “Bat Repellant” on the front. “Ehh? Whaddaya think?” He held the canister out towards Black Canary proudly.

“Funny.” Black Canary replied, humorlessly. “Those things are bad for the environment, though.” She took a deep, shaky breath. Whatever came out of that can would not do her body well. She was fast, but was she fast enough to outrun gas? She may be able to get her mask out in time, but if that stuff made contact with her skin, she may be in a lot more trouble. Perfect timing would serve her well, she thought, as she began to formulate a plan of attack.

“Such a spoilsport. Well since you’re so ready to go, let’s get this started, shall we?” The Joker wrapped one arm around the large canister and used the other to press down on the trigger. Purple gas sprayed out, covering ground more quickly than Black Canary had anticipated. She swiftly pulled out a compact mask from an accessible jacket pocket and attached it to her face.

She jogged in the opposite direction to put some distance between herself and her bike, then rushed forward towards it, using it at as leverage to propel herself into the air. She kicked off the handle bars and somersaulted over the aimed spray, hoping she was quick enough to avoid what had dispersed into the air above. She dropped solidly behind the Joker. Before he could finish following her arc with his head, she spun her body and landed a violent roundhouse kick to the side of his head. His body propelled into the ruins of a nearby car and crumpled on the floor. He stayed there motionless.

“Good job, that was quick.” Cyborg amusedly interjected as Black Canary moved to hover over the Joker’s still body.

“I don’t have time for him or any of this. Can I just bring him up to you guys and go home?”

“Of course. But first you’re getting a check-up. We have no idea what it is he hit you with. You may have been affected even if it didn’t touch you.”

“Don’t suppose I’m getting any perks for all this overtime…”

“Ask Batman,” Cyborg laughed. “And hey, could you also bring—”

“Yeah, yeah.” Black Canary turned away from the Joker’s mangled heap and gently retrieved the canister he had unfortunately dropped. Reaching into her coat once again, she pulled out a small black transmitter and activated the portal. Scooping up the Joker with her free arm, she looked around at the destruction he had brought about. And for what? To make a terrible pun? She shook him not-so-gently to ask, but he swung about unresponsively, dangling from her grip around his waist. He was a lot lighter in person. She took one last distasteful look at Gotham. It had begun to rain harder, if that were even possible. Finally she sighed and stepped through the portal.

_**—The Watchtower—** _

Superman, the Martian Manhunter, and Cyborg stood around the large evidence-room table, arms crossed, brows identically furrowed in deep concentration. The Joker’s canister of “Bat Repellant” was placed between them, glowing from the advanced alien technology built in to the table. Though it was smart, the machine was having a difficult time identifying its contents. The liquid seemed to be composed of a few ingredients similar to those used in tear gas, but there was one final foreign component. Black Canary had hauled both the canister and the Joker up to the Watchtower and only stayed long enough for a basic body scan before she left back for Earth. Though he was still wary, Cyborg didn’t have the heart to stop her—especially when her anger and annoyance could be solved quite simply with sleep.

While Cyborg had been analyzing the new piece of evidence, the Martian had silently joined him, followed by Superman a few minutes later. They all stared in relative silence. Superman and Cyborg used some of their respective analyzing capabilities, but nothing had stood out to them so far.

“It’s not poisonous through inhalation…” Martian Manhunter mused.

“Not toxic through physical contact…” Cyborg added.

“Doesn’t seem to be able to restructure DNA or organic matter in any way,” Superman finished.

 _But it’s still not completely harmless. Especially since it came from the Joker._ They were all thinking the same thing. Nothing was ever so simple with him.

“Well you won’t get anywhere grilling holes into it,” A voice called out to them from the automatic doors. Batman had finally arrived. “I cut my business short once I heard who Black Canary had hauled in,” he confessed.

“You ditched the Flash in Bangladesh?” Superman raised an eyebrow at him.

  
 “He said he wanted to take in the sights. Honestly, he was really just trying to impress one of our female contacts. He’ll be back before we know it,” Batman joined the other men at the table.

“Have you gone to see him?” Cyborg asked quietly, nodding a floor lower to Holding Bay E.

“I will in a minute. And no, I have no idea what he’s up to,” Batman stated simply, as hard to read as ever. A moment of silence passed before everyone let out a deep breath almost simultaneously.

“Well, let me know if I can be of any more assistance. I have a few things to finish up,” and with that, the Martian Manhunter dismissed himself.

“Yeah, I’d better go back to work as well. You know where to find me.” Cyborg nodded before following.

Batman and Superman were left in the evidence-holding room alone. Superman couldn’t help looking at Batman a bit incredulously. “Why did you come back?” he finally asked.

“I don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I, but so far, he’s been relatively easy to handle. And we at least have him in custody. Did you hear how his fight with Black Canary went?”

Batman’s lips curled up ever so slightly at the corners. He couldn’t help but be proud of her. According to Cyborg, she nearly took his head off. “Yes, well, you know I can’t help but feel responsible for him. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. I always feel nervous when I leave Gotham alone to fend for itself, especially since this type of thing happens a lot.” He nodded at the canister on the table. Batman spoke candidly in front of Superman. After everything they’d been through together, he knew his deepest vulnerabilities were more than safe with Kal-El. He even eased off his signature scowl slightly.

Superman _hmmm’d_ knowingly in response.

“So how’s Zor-El settling in?” Batman knew it was a contentious issue with Superman, but he was genuinely curious about the Justice League’s new asset. He was also itching to take the conversation off of his own impulsivity.

“She’s as hard-headed as she was the day I met her. I’m genuinely concerned about…” Superman trailed off, disappointed with himself for thinking such things about his own cousin.

From what Batman had observed of the new Kryptonian, Zor-El didn’t restrain herself the way Superman did. She didn’t see a need to. The Justice League knew of her involvement with the Department of Extra-Normal Operations. Once she began showcasing her powers as an adult, the DEO had strong-armed her into working underneath them, and Batman knew the largest reason for this was to keep an eye on her.

Supergirl, as she was called, had had little contact with Kal-El. But as soon as she was labeled a superhero, he had gone to see her. To size her up, maybe? Connect, possibly? Superman’s motives weren’t completely clear to Batman, but he did know that Kal-El hadn’t liked what he had seen. Bringing her into the Justice League had just been one last-ditch effort to dominate the young, new hero. Superman wanted to be in control of the situation, especially when it came to someone who was constantly compared with himself; who was new and mysterious; who came from his own home planet; who was, frankly, stronger than he had ever shown himself to be. The world was watching. Supergirl may not care about politics, but Superman knew it was important for the safety of their organization and their good standing internationally. The last thing they needed was a rogue alien, too strong for them to control, ruining the good work the League had been doing—the good work that aliens around the world had been doing.

Superman’s sentence went unfinished. _I’m genuinely concerned…._

“About her ability to control herself? To do the right thing? To not kill?” Batman offered.

Superman let out a deep sigh. “I’m just worried about her. She’s my blood. I can’t abandon her, can I? I’ll have to stick by her side no matter how much I condemn her actions. She’s all I have isn’t she…?” None of these were real questions directed at Batman. Superman frowned at a spot on the table only he could see.  
 “And I still have so much to learn from her—she remembers Krypton.” Superman finished vocalizing his thoughts with that loaded sentence. Batman knew that the small fact contained a lifetime of meaning. He had nothing to offer Superman. He simply _hmmm’d_ in agreement.

The two men didn’t have time to brood for much longer before an ear-piercing alarm sliced through the silence.

_SECURITY BREACH IN HOLDING BAY E._

The words rang out loudly, the robotic voice only intensifying the urgency of the situation. Batman and Superman didn’t even spare each other a parting look before they were out the doors towards the holding bay.

_**—National City: NC Corrections, Cell D3—** _

The aggressive jingling of keys accompanied heavy footfalls and Lex Luthor compulsively counted the twenty-five steps they took to reach his cell from the wing doors. He composed himself at his desk in the meantime, straightening his back and rolling his shoulders expectantly.

“Luthor,” a gruff voice called from the other side of the bars. Lex relaxed slightly, then. It was Morgan, one of his more easily manipulated guards. He turned wordlessly to face his new companion. Morgan stood there, more a mass of muscle than an actual man, holding a cell phone in his hands which was strategically blocked from the security cameras. A news outlet was playing. Lex stood and walked over to the bars in order to hear the reporter more clearly.

 _“… escape from the Justice League’s Watchtower. Atomic Skull has been identified as the perpetrator of the break-out. In all, six convicts have escaped their holding cells. The Watchtower had been their temporary holding base until their sentences were finalized. The Justice League has released a statement in which they promise to re-capture the escaped felons as swiftly and efficiently as possible. They also reassure us that they will increase security on the Watchtower and will thoroughly investigate how the escape could have happened. Rumours are circulating that the Joker was one of the escapees. This has yet to be confirmed or denied by the Justice League, but there is no doubt that people are worried. I don’t need to remind anyone about the explosion he orchestrated in Gotham only two days ago. The next few weeks will be tense—though if anyone is able to fix this mess, it is most definitely the Justice League.”_ The reporter flashed a confident grin before signing off. _“This is Mark Cassidy for NCNN. Back to you, Tracey.”_

The screen went dark, and Morgan slipped the phone swiftly into the front pocket of his uniform pants. Lex stared into Morgan’s questioning eyes for an uncomfortable length of time. Rage seemed to engulf his entire body. The Justice League had fumbled again. When would humans learn that they could not control aliens? They brought their mess to Earth and then dominated human beings, masquerading as protectors. The only ones Earth needed protecting from were these so-called heroes. Lex couldn’t get the smug look of the reporter out of his head. What a complete and utter fool. Did he not see that the entire situation was the fault of the idiots he idolized so much?

Lex turned and paced his small cell vigorously. Morgan watched on anxiously. Lex was glad he had gotten wind of the escape, but it didn’t affect him. It oh-so enraged him, but none of this was his problem. He needed to focus on his own issues. He stopped abruptly and glared at the guard. “How are things coming?”

“Everything is set. Our men are ready.” Morgan answered.

“Good. Because if you people screw this up-” Lex took a menacing step forward. His anger dripped into each quiet word he slowly spoke. “I will personally kill each one of you with my bare hands. And then I’ll just kill my sister myself.”

Morgan nodded once, hoping the fear he felt to his core wasn’t showing. It was, though. He blinked quickly, trying to stay conscious. Lex was truly terrifying when he wanted to be, and Morgan was never one for frightening movies. He tended to pass out. This situation was no different. Lex dismissed him by sitting back at his desk and waving him off. “Send word when it’s done, or don’t come back at all. And God help you if I find you.”

Morgan composed himself and tried not to run out of the wing, but Lex couldn’t help but notice that it had taken him considerably fewer steps to reach the main doors.

Even intimidating his subordinates couldn’t put a smile on Lex’s face today. Everything rested on the success of this plan. It was the first step in regaining control of Cadmus and his eventual escape from this hell of a prison. He hadn’t told his mother of his plans, but Lillian wouldn’t really shed a tear for the daughter she never truly loved. She wanted control as much as he did. And keeping her as far away from Lena Luthor would prove useful in the event of this plan falling through. Lillian would only antagonize his sister further and ruin his carefully thought-out strategy for success.

No, Lex Luthor was going to restore the family name on his own merits. And God help anyone who stood in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this. Credit goes to my brother for helping me execute a believable plot and working with my ridiculous ideas lol. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading :)


	2. Monsters

_**—National City: DEO Headquarters—** _

The doors of one of the DEO’s more private conference rooms opened with an automatic hiss, though not with nearly enough intensity to truly convey Kara’s annoyance. Winn startled at the sudden intrusion while J'onn and Alex considered the hero cooly, bracing themselves for the inevitable argument.

“Kara,” Alex regarded her sister carefully.

“You think I can’t hear you?”

“We know you can,” J’onn replied reassuringly. “And I stand by what I said. You’re sitting out this next mission.”

“Why, because you think I can’t do my job?”

“No,” J’onn turned to fully address Kara. “ It’s because you’re too reckless.”

A tense silence settled around the room. No one was having trouble remembering the events of last night—how Kara had broken the fingers of a would-be rapist.

_She had been monitoring the city during the early hours of the morning as she usually did and had heard the unmistakable, tearful pleas for mercy coming from a young woman. Kara had honed in on her location immediately and landed solidly in the shadowed alleyway mere seconds later. In the darkness, she spoke quietly. Menacingly. “You think preying on women is fun?”_

_The man had taken one look at Supergirl and straightened himself from his compromising position against the terrified woman. He squared his shoulders, facing Kara directly, fear coursing through his entire soul. He took a step backwards, and then another. But each step was met with a confident one forward from Kara. They maintained eye contact, and Kara relished in his hesitation, a haunting grin spreading across her face._

_“Do you know what usually happens to victims of sexual assault?” She asked. Kara used her superspeed to place herself directly in front of him. He had his hands held up in front of him, as if it would be enough to stop the woman made of steel. She interlocked her fingers with his and applied slight pressure. Tears began to form in his eyes expectantly. Kara wasn’t using much force by her standards, but he undeniably felt her power. “They tend to break,” with that, she pressed his fingers backwards on his left hand, towards his wrist, satisfied with the sharp snaps she produced._

_“Internally, of course,” Kara finished. “Though since you’re not experiencing that-” she spoke nonchalantly over his screams of pain. “-I guess breaking you on the outside is only fair.” Swiftly, she did the same with his right. Kara released him and he dropped to his knees, cradling his hands in the crooks of his elbows. His brain couldn’t identify where he felt the most pain and so he scrambled to comfort all eight broken fingers at the same time._

_Kara gave him a distasteful look. He still hadn’t stopped screaming. A swift jab to the throat seemed to quieten him, and he rolled on the ground, only gasping for air now. She turned to face the victim who had sunk to her knees, a look of awe and fear cemented on her face. Kara approached her slowly, her anger immediately giving way to gentleness. She crouched near the young woman, far enough aways so as not to intimidate her, and spoke softly. “Where would you like me to take you? The hospital or just home?” The girl’s eyes darted between Supergirl and the man rolling on the floor behind her. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out._

_“Hospital?” Supergirl offered, but the look she received told her that wasn’t the correct answer. “Home?” She tried again. The girl managed something resembling a nod, and her eyes gave off a sense of recognition at the word. “Do you mind if we fly?” The fear in the young woman’s face melted away leaving an incredulous, wondrous look. Supergirl couldn’t help but smile at that. A minute later, she had coaxed an address out of her. Kara scooped her up gently, trying to soften her body as much as possible when she wrapped her arms over Kara’s shoulders and rested her head on her. As Kara slowly lifted off the ground in order to acclimate her to the sensation of flying, the woman pressed a smile into her neck._

_“You’re incredible,” she mumbled. “What about…”_

_“It’s alright,” I notified the police on my way here. They’ll deal with him. I’m assuming you don’t want to be here when they arrive, though?” Kara felt her shake her head. “Alright, then. Up, up and away,” she whispered before properly taking off._

_The woman was left breathless at the sudden rush of air, all she could manage was a soft echo of Supergirl’s words. “Up, up and away.”_

But it wasn’t the police who had arrived—it was the DEO, specifically Agent Alex Danvers and a small inquiry team she had put together for these types of situations. The police had notified them of Supergirl’s location alert, contacting the DEO’s public liaison office who in turn had called them off the trace. The team had been created to act as a buffer between the police and Supergirl. They had requested to be notified whenever Supergirl used her emergency location tracker during her stakeouts of the city. Alex knew the cover was necessary, no matter how difficult it was to admit. Kara didn’t communicate with the DEO when she was out saving lives, and they needed to do damage control or Kara would become a public enemy of National City. Last night’s incident was the perfect example of why they the response team was necessary.

Alex’s frustrations began to surface as she sat at the conference table, taking in her younger sister. Kara’s behavior was becoming more and more brazen, and there was a smugness to her that Alex did not recognize.

She spoke before anyone else could. “Kara, sit down.” Her tone was forceful and harsh, and she drew from a deep-running well of familial authority that even Winn didn’t miss. Kara flinched slightly and did as she was told.

“What J’onn says is right. Kara, what are you doing?” Alex softened her tone slightly, locking onto her sister’s brilliantly blue eyes.

“I’m saving the city. I’m doing what I’m supposed to. Why do you care if some gross man gets his fingers broken? The next time he goes to touch someone, he’ll remember what’s going to happen if it isn’t one hundred percent consensual,” Kara shrugged as she finished.

“That’s not the point, Kara. You’re a public figure now, people respect you. You can’t go around hurting them and doing whatever you want. There are consequences to everyone’s actions. What makes you any different? The fact that you’re not human? Do you want to be feared? To rein over human beings with your unmatched power?”

No, of course not.” Anger flashed in Kara’s eyes. “I’m just trying to do the right thing. Who knows what would have happened if I didn’t help her?”

J’onn used the question to interject. “This isn’t about you helping. There is no doubt that your services were needed. But you have to understand that the way you handle a situation is just as important. How could that human have ever defended himself against you? It was unfair, Kara.”

The group sat in silence for a while. Alex watched Kara carefully as she wrestled with the information they had presented to her with. She could almost see the gears turning in her head.

Finally Kara spoke. “Well I’m not going to apologize for what I did. He deserved it. However,” Kara looked at Alex and hurried along her sentence before she could be interrupted, “ I do understand. I’ll try to do better.” Kara sat back in her chair, eyes closed, struggling to compose herself. Fitting in as a human had never been easy for her. Now that she had found a way to use her powers in an unadulterated way, the call for restraint was, understandably, difficult. Her powers were a part of her—they were regulated by emotion just like anyone else. How much of herself would she have to suppress in order to keep this promise?

“Listen,” Alex said, reaching over the table to take Kara’s hands. “I understand this is all very new. I know you want to distinguish yourself as a hero, and I know you’re intentions are always good. I truly believe in you. You never have to doubt that.” She stared at Kara until she looked at her. “But you’re not alone. Let us help you. We do everything together, don’t we?” she waited for her sister to nod in agreement. “And this is no different. We just have advanced technology and the power of a secret government organization on our side.” Kara let out something resembling a laugh. She took a deep breath and turned to J’onn who had watched the interaction in relative silence. Understanding was written all over his face.

He nodded at Alex in approval. “Alright. Let’s move on to more pressing matters. We may have a serious problem on our hands. Winn?”

The technological genius stood, clearing his throat in obvious discomfort. He looked around shyly, but the moment had passed. Three serious, attentive faces stared back, and their ability to quickly settle themselves was a bit frightening. He picked up a slim remote and turned on the screen hanging on the wall behind J’onn. “This is from Lena Luthor’s press conference this morning.”

At the name, Kara sat up a little straighter in her seat. She couldn’t help but be fascinated with the young new CEO of L-Corp. She hadn’t had much contact with her, but Lena Luthor was quite an infamous name in National City. Before Kara officially became Supergirl, she had watched the attempt on Lena’s life live on t.v. less than a year ago. There were questions as to who was behind the hostage situation at the L-Corp tower. Rumors circulated that Lex Luthor himself had done it, while more paranoid voices claimed that Lena had staged the intense scene-- though their reasonings weren’t very coherent. The more Kara brought herself into the world of superheroes and restricted DEO information, the more she believed the first theory. Lex Luthor was a powerful, frightening man.

Winn used his tablet to project the press conference on the larger screen. The four Agents watched on with rapt attention. Lena Luthor stood as elegantly as ever, back straight, arms folded neatly on the podium in front of her. Her hair was pulled up into a neat bun and she wore a sleeveless black button up. Kara couldn’t help but notice that the first few buttons were undone, drawing attention to her exposed neck and a bit of cleavage. A man (most likely one of her many lawyers) stood just behind her, eyes as sharp as his suit, looking as though he was ready to intervene at any moment.

 _“Good morning,”_ she began with a brilliant smile. “ _My name Is Lena Luthor, president and CEO of L-Corp. When I first took up this position, I had told the people of National City of my plans to rebuild and re-brand L-Corp as the leading name in technological advancement.”_ She paused and her smile widened. _“I am proud to say that we are well on our way to accomplishing this. As the first step forward, I am here to announce the prototype for our new alien-detection device.”_ There was silence as people slowly registered what she had said. Suddenly the room erupted in loud questions and camera flashes. The man behind Lena stepped around her and spoke forcefully into the closest mike.

 _“You know the rules—Ms. Luthor is not taking any questions at this time. Settle down.”_ He commanded their attention forcefully and only pulled back once the room calmed.

 _“The reason for this device is simply to identify who is and is not a human being. Its purpose is to aid our government with the growing number of alien refugees coming to Earth. National security has always been an extremely important issue in our country, and now our population stretches further than this planet. It is no secret that alien technology surpasses Earth’s own--alien strength surpasses that of humans. Our partnership with the government is a first step in establishing L-Corp as a company that stands with humans and aliens alike. This is by no means meant to be a divisive piece of equipment, but a move towards matching our neighbouring planets technologically. We aim to serve you, National City. Our expertise is science, and we wish to use our skill for the benefit of our unique and ever-changing planet. There is more to come, National City, I can tell you that much. L-Corp will become the leading name worldwide in technology, entertainment, and responsible environmental leadership. Thank you for taking this journey with us. We won’t let you down.”_ Lena finished with a nod.

The room erupted with noise and lights once again, and the man behind Lena helped usher her out of the conference room. Winn paused the video and looked expectantly around the room.

“Yeah, this device might be a problem. She hasn’t shown any political affiliation one way or another, but she’s a Luthor isn’t she? This device can’t possibly be as harmless as she makes it seem. What do we do?” Alex asked.

“I’m not interested in her politics,” J’onn started, rubbing his chin in concentration. “But this could get out of hand very quickly. We still don’t know where her loyalties lie…”

“And her brother seems to really want to kill her.” Kara added. “I have a feeling she’s going to need protection more than anything.”

“We could wait for this to play itself out. I am worried about the anti-alien sentiment this device is going to produce, though.” Winn said, sitting down once again. He chanced a look at Kara who still hadn’t taken her eyes off the screen.

“What if Lex has a hand in this?” Alex asked.

“Let me go and find out,” Kara stated seriously, eyes still glued to Lena’s still image. “This would be the perfect opportunity to try out that ‘delicate’ behavior you asked for. I could go do an interview as Kara Danvers. See what she knows. Kat Grant is going to ask me to get a quote soon anyway.” She shrugged and stood, stretching.

J’onn looked at Kara warily, though he couldn’t deny it was a good idea. “Fine, go ahead. And please try to behave yourself. We don’t need another Luthor on our bad side.”

Kara grinned. She would be as delicate with Lena as she’d ever been.

  
_**—L-Corp Tower, Underground Parking Garage, Area 3F—** _

Gaining access to L-Corp had been no easy feat. It had taken months to simply get a hang of Lena Luthor’s private driving schedule. The woman was no fool. The company she employed was actually a branch of L-Corp, who was field testing private driving services throughout National City with technologically advanced vehicles they created themselves. Her drivers alternated every day, and she never used the same set any longer than a month. At this point in time, Lena was switching between three separate ones.

Since her drivers were already L-Corp employees for different reasons, their obedience and discretion was unwavering. Knowing the Luthor’s, there were most likely thinly veiled threats to go along with that loyalty. As well, there were no electronic traces of her schedule or the routes they used. Morgan and his team were forced to resort to old-school methods of surveillance and tracking. When they thought they had finally understood something, Lena had turned the tables on them.

Their persistence (and fear of Lex Luthor) had finally paid off despite the constant setbacks. They had established three primary bases that Lena spent the majority of her time: L-Corp, her condo, and an expensive Italian restaurant in which she conducted the majority of her more public business meetings. Most of her time was spent in the L-Corp tower. In all, they had established nine distinct routes, and the team noticed that they all offered the least amount of time sat in traffic. There was one last obstacle they spent the better part of a month trying to maneuver around. All of Lena Luthor’s drivers were specially trained bodyguards. Morgan had been a soldier in his younger years, and he knew for a fact that they were ex-military. He wondered why L-Corp needed such muscle on their payroll, but then he remembered what his mission was and completely understood. They were there to prevent people like himself for bringing harm to Lena.

It had taken a while, but Morgan had finally found a solution to his problem. He had scoured the seediest bars throughout National City and had found a man who would do anything for the right price and who knew how to keep his mouth shut. He was known only as Axle. His resume was incredible, his satisfaction and approval ratings were high, and murder was not a difficult ask of him. The people who he inquired to about Axle were clearly terrified of him. No one approached Axle without reason and a solid plan. Morgan met with him once before hiring him; Axle was young and quite handsome, clean shaven and well put together in a way Morgan didn’t expect from someone who did terrible things for a living. He was extremely dangerous, but this mission needed to be carried out efficiently or Morgan would have bigger problems on his hands.

The team, including Axle, gathered around the hood of the electrical repair van they had illegally and quietly procured, tucked away at the back wall furthest away from the elevators. Three of them hunched over detailed blueprints of the L-Corp tower, but Axle seemed indifferent to their cover. Morgan was nervous. The others, Rudy and Stitch, were men he had previously conducted missions with who respected his leadership. But Axle was proving to be more and more difficult to manage and Morgan was beginning to second-guess himself. He regarded Axle’s solid frame apprehensively; he rested against the side of the vehicle smoking a cigarette. Nagging him wouldn’t be wise. He clearly didn’t care if they were spotted. He had seen Axle fight once before, and judging by the familiar glassy, excited look in his eyes, he could tell he was ready to cause serious harm to someone. Morgan didn’t quite care for that someone to be himself.

Axle never took his eyes off the door housing the elevator shaft across the lot. He could smell the fearful sweat dripping off the other men. He took a deep breath, indulging in the odour that mingled with his cigarette smoke. It aroused him to no end. He relaxed every part of his body ritualistically, working from the tips of his toes to his brain. _Lena Luthor_. He hadn’t quite understood what the mission was when he had first been approached by Morgan, hopelessly inept, a few months ago. But he would do anything to satisfy his urge to hurt. And Lena Luthor of all people. She was truly a sight to behold. He had always been curious of her; she was beautiful and dangerous. He could tell just by watching her on t.v. There was a sharpness to her, a viciousness buried beneath her calm exterior. He would know, he spent his life perfecting that act. A monster could always spot another monster no matter how hard they tried to mask it.

It was a shame he’d have to kill her—he thought they’d make a perfect pair.

The more Axle smiled, the more Morgan seriously considered calling off this mission. Stitch and Rudy exchanged nervous glances at each other, watching Axle out of the corner of their eyes. Morgan focused on the task at hand before the unity of the team broke down completely. “Is everyone ready?” Stitch and Rudy nodded. “Axle?”

Axle didn’t move his body, but turned his head slightly and slid his eyes over to Morgan. Sparkling grey met hesitant brown, and the look he gave him sent shivers down Morgan’s spine. He looked away quickly and tapped his earpiece. “Are we ready, Logan?”

_“All good up here boss,” Logan crouched over the control panel he had removed from the interior of the elevator. He was on the top floor of the L-Corp tower, stealing glances at Lena Luthor’s office doors when her receptionist wasn’t looking. He worked slowly, actually fixing the mechanical issues they had created in order to gain access to the building. Finally, Lena Luthor emerged, the second time in the span of four hours. Softly, he whispered into his earpiece. “On the way.”_

_Lena stopped at her receptionist’s desk and spoke to her quietly. Eventually they began glancing over to Logan, likely discussing the progress of the private elevator repairs. She pushed off the desk and made her way towards him, all elegant power and graceful smiles. “How are things going Logan? I hope you aren’t working too hard.”_

_“Not at all Ms. Luthor. Simple, but slow work.” He grinned back and straightened himself, wiping his hands on his work pants and extending his right one to offer a polite shake. “Thing are going well. In fact, I can take you down to whichever floor you choose. I’ll just have to ride with you in case of any problems. It’ll spare you a long walk down the stairs.”_

_“That would be wonderful, thank you.” She entered the elevator and stood beside Logan, watching him curiously. He reached inside the exposed opening where the controls usually sat and made a show of stuffing wires back into the hole. Discreetly, he pressed a button which overrode their initial interference with the system and jump-started the elevator. He replaced the panel and hesitated, feigning uncertainty of the floor she needed. “P3, please.”_

_“Of course, Ms. Luthor.”_

“That’s our cue,” Morgan began gathering the papers off the hood of the car, and Stitch started to jog away. He needed to get into his car and drive to the secondary location ahead of everyone else. “Let’s not fuck this up,” Morgan called after him. He received a lazy, dismissive wave in response. Morgan got into the driver's seat and Rudy slid into the back, but Axle didn’t move. A black SUV silently pulled into the lot and stopped near the doors leading into the building. A minute later, Lena Luthor emerged, waving good-night to Logan who waved back, beaming. His smile dissolved as she turned around, and he locked eyes with the repair van, nodding ever so slightly to its occupants before the elevator doors closed again.

Axle still hadn’t moved. His third cigarette was nearly burned to the filter now and he took a last drag, watching Lena, infinitely more beautiful in person even across a dimly lit parking lot, climb into the back seat of the armoured vehicle. The SUV took off immediately and finally Axle ground the butt of his smoke with his heel and got into the van.

“Okay,” Axle turned to face his team and offered a cruel smile. “Let’s go kill Lena Luthor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, school is kicking my ass. Next chapter will be up a lot sooner, I promise. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this one :)


	3. Fury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, this chapter was really difficult to write for some reason. I'll never start a fic during exam season ever again lol

_**—Downtown National City—** _

Supergirl was having a particularly difficult time patrolling National City. It was Super Bowl Sunday, meaning that everyone with even the most basic grasp of football was out drinking. The relentless downpour didn’t seem to dampen their spirits and emergency responders could only do so much, which meant Kara was basically on her own. Babysitting. 

They clearly didn’t value their lives. For beings with such soft, delicate organs, humans were beyond reckless. She had turned over many comatose drunks, saving them from choking on their own vomit while their friends watched on and laughed. She prevented a handful of drunk-driving collisions and put a stop to the more violent fights she happened across, even saving a young man from a gambling-related stabbing.

As the hours passed, people had gotten used to her presence in the downtown area and had grown more brazen, daring each other to approach the woman of steel. To fight her, to catcall her; touching her cape seemed to be the game of the night. Kara liked interacting with the public. It was amusing, they were fun drunks, and she had met some interesting characters that she never would have as the strait-laced Kara Danvers. But tonight was exhausting.

Kara quickly abandoned the gentle demeanour she promised Alex she would adhere to. The last fight she intervened ended with broken bones and parting promises of further violence. It was easier to demonstrate her strength than it was to reason with them. Kara eventually found herself hovering above downtown National City, scanning with her enhanced senses. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought the city seemed quiet and peaceful. And for a moment, it was. Until Kara heard an ear-piercing scream.

But it didn’t come from the downtown area. She turned and closed her eyes, listening intently. Then she heard it again, two kilometres north from her location. Kara honed in on the voice and followed its echo to an unlit road and a four-way traffic stop. A black car sat motionless in the middle of the intersection, engine still running. The drivers and right passenger doors were wide open, spilling light onto the dark street. Kara knew something was wrong the second she laid her eyes on the vehicle. She slowed her speed as she neared and used her x-ray vision to scan it. There was one occupant in the front, but she couldn’t find a heartbeat. The back of the car was completely smashed in, clearly a hit and run gone wrong.

She landed and slowly approached the driver’s seat. Her suspicions were confirmed once she looked in. A man was lain out across the front, face bloodied and swollen. She took a step backwards, stepping into something with a thicker consistency than the rain. It was blood—most likely his blood.

Kara rounded the front of the car, trying to take in as much information as possible. The offending car was long gone. _And the woman._ Kara looked into the open passenger seat to confirm what she already knew. She was gone as well. A handbag sat on the floor, contents spilt, and Kara reached under the front seat to gather the various items. She stopped when her hand found a wallet. An expensive one. At least Kara could identify who it was that was kidnapped. She’d have to call the DEO in on this one. Alex had connections with the NCPD and they would definitely want to be the first ones at the scene.

Kara opened the wallet, pulled out a driver's license, and nearly stopped breathing when she read the name printed on it. She closed her eyes, forced her lungs to work, and looked again. But she had read correctly and there was no mistaking who stared back at her, well put-together even for a simple government photo. _J’onn isn’t going to like this at all_ , Kara thought as she took off into the night.

_**—Location Unknown, National City—** _

Lex was creative, she’d give him that. The first attempt on her life was very well orchestrated—a messy, public takeover of L-Corp by some dim-witted aliens. It was violent and disruptive, and helped spread his anti-alien ideology. But she had lived, and he hadn’t counted on that. It had taken him over a year to regroup and make another attempt. This was a lot stealthier, and Lena was caught off guard. She had her suspicions of her elevator repairmen, but she hadn’t expected it to be so quiet and sudden. He really wanted her dead.

Lena sat up as straight as she could in her chair. Her arms were bound tightly behind her, her feet just as tightly to the chair legs. They had gagged her, so she needed to control her breathing and focus on pulling air in through her nose. She watched out of the corner of her eye as idiots one, two, and three fumbled around each other setting up a monitor and an internet connection in the dingy safe house. They were dangerous, but not her biggest threats. No, the real danger stood several feet away, arms crossed, grin on his face and blood on his clothes. Lena never took her eyes off of him. He had killed Gregory. Lena had watched on helplessly as he beat her driver to death with his own hands. Gregory had been trained. He had worked for the government for many years, essentially a spy, before working under the Luthors. And now he was dead.

The man truly scared her, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing it. Instead Lena focused on her many injuries, using the pain to ground her in reality and keep herself from panicking. The crash had given her serious whiplash and maybe even a concussion, and the punch to the stomach afterwards to keep her quiet didn’t help either.

What she needed now was to use her intelligence to save herself. No one was coming for her because no one knew where she was. Her staff wouldn’t look for her until tomorrow morning at 7:00. And even then, they wouldn’t bother her until noon if she didn’t call in. Dying was one thing, but the way that man was staring at her, she had a feeling she would be begging for death before he was done with her.

  
_**—DEO Headquarters, National City—**_

“Supergirl, what is your location?” J’onn paced the control room of the DEO trying not to yell into his mic, ignoring the concerned looks from his agents. He had every right to be apprehensive. Hearing Lena Luthor’s name from Kara mouth was the last thing he needed. Superman watched on, brows furrowed, listening in on his conversation.

J’onn sighed heavily. “It’s just dead air. Winn. Have you dispatched the response team Supergirl’s last coordinates yet?”

“Just sent them. She’s long gone, though. And she’s moving too fast.” Winn typed furiously away at his keyboard.

“How can I help?” Superman asked, stepping in front of J’onn to keep him focused. He had come to the DEO to update J’onn on the situation with the Watchtower fugitives. So far almost all of them were either apprehended or in the process of being recaptured, but they had a big problem on their hands. The Joker hadn’t surfaced yet. Superman had wanted to discuss their next steps with J’onn before Batman could react on his own. But it seemed that National City was in a bit of a crisis. This had Lex Luthor written all over it, and Superman was getting increasingly agitated as the minutes passed.

“I have a team headed to the location where she initially communicated with us. We can’t anticipate where Supergirl will land and we’ll be too slow to get to her when she does, so-”

“Just give me her tracker and I’ll follow her.” Superman finished for him.

“That may be a problem,” Winn called warily over his shoulder. “Her signal just went dead.” J’onn and Superman fell dangerously silent and he scrambled to correct himself. “She’s fine, obviously—someone’s just interfered with our signal. But I’ve got a lock on that last location.” He fished around in the drawer beside him and tossed Superman a DEO earpiece and a small device with a monitor. “That’s where everything’s most likely going down. How fast can you get-”

Before he could realize how stupid his question was and rephrase, Superman was gone in a flash of blue and red, leaving whatever wasn’t bolted down rattling in his wake.

  
_**—Somewhere Over National City—**_

Kara had to think fast. There was no doubt that whoever had kidnapped Lena Luthor would kill her as soon as they possibly could. They had taken her to a secondary location which bought her some time, but Kara didn’t know where to even begin looking let alone whether she would be quick enough to prevent the assassination. She followed fresh tire marks heading west, just slow enough as to not miss anything in her haste. Fifteen minutes later she found something. A car had been abandoned a few metres into a forested area off the highway, its front completely smashed in. This had to be the vehicle that hit Lena’s SUV—it was still warm. Kara spared a moment to check its interior, but it was completely clean. These guys knew what they were doing.

She was about to take off once again when something fluttering in the wind caught her eye. A hat was snagged on a short bush, covered in blood. The front read Ace Electrical Inc. Kara felt a surge of new energy. She didn’t touch it, but she made a mental note of her location and pinged her tracker once again. Her comms seemed to be jammed and she could only hope that the DEO was at least receiving her alerts. The reception had steadily gotten spottier, but it seemed it had now officially cut out.

 _Wait…_ This was advanced government technology. The only reason it wouldn’t work was if someone didn’t want it to work. And Kara noticed something else. The hat was several meters away from the car, but was leading into the woods, not back out towards the road. It could have simply been the wind that carried it, but there was nothing around them for miles, and where else would you go to kill one of the most powerful people in National City?

After a moment of searching, Kara found what she was looking for. The heavy rain had nearly drowned them, but tire impression were still visible in the mud. She hovered so as not to disturb them and followed the trail deeper into the forest. Kara smiled dangerously. These Ace employees had an off-brand method of electrical repair they’d have to explain to Kara in person. They were going to be very surprised to see her.

_**—Location Unknown, National City—** _

_“Lena, sweetheart. I hope my men have been treating you well.”_ Lex smiled deviously into the camera from his prison cell. The connection was finally set up and Morgan could relax slightly now. Everything had gone according to plan. He didn’t even mourn the death of Lena’s driver. The moment that mountain of a man had stepped out of the SUV, Morgan had been reminded of why bringing Axle along had been a good idea. He still couldn’t believe that he carried so much power and anger in such a small body.

Lena was surprised to see Lex’s face but recovered quickly. She knew better than to give off anything but a stoic resolve, especially around another Luthor. Lena knew this conversation was coming—Lex could never do anything without finding a way to gloat first. She was actually curious about what he had to say, they hadn’t spoken since his initial arrest. Searching his wild eyes now, though, she saw nothing of the man he used to be. Lex had been deteriorating for years, but this was completely different. His time in prison had changed him. He was calmer—more sure of himself. It would be foolish to believe this was because he was getting better. He was only slipping further and further into his delusions. If Lena had ever held any reservations about bringing about the destruction of her own brother, they disappeared the moment she set eyes on him through the grainy feed. _You’d better kill me here because if I live through this, I’m coming after you myself._

  
Lex peered into the camera. _“Is that a gag in her mouth? How am I supposed to speak to her?”_ Moran moved to remove it but Axle was faster. He stared into Lena’s eyes and used two fingers to push the rag further down her throat for a second before pulling it out, sated by the choking sounds Lena made.

_“Oh my, who is this sadist you’ve recruited?”_

“What do you want, Lex? Wait, does Mother know what you’re up to?” Lena asked, recovering quickly. She needed to steer this conversation. She needed information, and angering Lex usually made him careless. Anything to take the conversation off the psychopath waiting for her wouldn’t hurt either.

 _“Of course not,”_ Lex scoffed. _“She would only get in the way. You know how she gets. Remember when I told her I was dating Amy back in college?”_ How could Lena forget? Lillian had single-handedly destroyed the social status of an entire family, even sending the poor girl’s father to prison for planted drugs. Simply because Amy wasn’t good enough for the Luthor name. Lillian had the tendency to interfere with her children’s lives. The memory brought a smile to the sibling’s faces, but the moment passed as quickly as it came.

“Alright, no Mother. So what is she up to these days? Still trying to restore Cadmus to its former glory?” She caught a flash of anger on Lex’s face before it quickly faded. No matter, she had found a sore spot. She poked again. “Is she taking over the family business? It would make sense with you sitting useless in prison, rotting away. I bet she’s disappointed in you for failing and getting yourself caught.”

Lena smiled, a smug grin she knew Lex hated. “You let your anger get the best of you, Lex. Father taught us better than that.” That anger again, but this time Lex didn’t try to hide it.

_“Are you taunting me, Lena? We aren’t children anymore. Look at the situation you’re in. Yes, I may not be in control at the moment, but you’re the one that’s going to die tonight, not me.”_

“Is this because of Luthor Corp? What, you want your company back? Did your little sister steal your toys from you?” Lex responded only with angry silence. So Lena switched to a topic she knew would send him over the edge. She needed him furious. And she was very good at that. Lex had always been a bit sensitive. She wouldn’t be a true Luthor if she didn’t know how to exploit her own brother.

“Or are you afraid you’ll never get to kill Superman yourself, stuck in there? Scared he’ll continue ‘saving’ the world without you there to ruin his fun? Did you hear what’s going on lately with the Justice-”

Lex cut her off abruptly, shouting now. _“The Justice League has nothing to do with this. This is about family, Lena. No one turns their back on family. Not even you. Especially not a Luthor. You had no right! To disband Cadmus, to ruin the hard work I’ve spent years on? No. You don’t get to betray your family and still reap the rewards. And still live. To answer your questions, I couldn’t care less what mother has planned, but she has the support of at least one of her children. As for Cadmus, when I get out of here, I am going to restore it. No one will ruin this for me. Not mother, and especially not you. It belongs to me. And yes, with that, I will have all the power I need to finally kill Superman.”_ Lex was seething now. Lena had only one or two chances to get what she wanted.

“So what are you going to do next? Continue sitting in prison doing nothing? Or will you use these geniuses to do it? Honestly, Lex, where did you find them?” She gestured to his silent henchmen, their eyes glued to the Luthors as though they were watching a film.

 _“Those idiots?_ ” Lex barked. _“No, my next step comes with precise, well-placed strikes. Though I would have hired you to do it if I could. You were alway exceptionally bright, Lena. But not to worry, I can manage the rest on my own. I don’t need National City seeing me as any more of a monster than I already am. I aim to climb back to the top and I’ll do it myself.”_

“And what about L-Corp, what happens to all the work I’ve done?”

 _“You know, I wish I had what you have. A city looking at me as if I were the hope for the future. I saw your press conference.”_ Lex sat down at his desk and composed himself enough to speak calmly. _“An alien-detection device? What’s that about? Way to play it down the middle. Do you want their trust or do you want them to hate you? I’m truly interested.”_

“I’m a scientist,” Lena stated simply. “I present the people with what we create. What others do with it has nothing to do with me.”

 _“See, now you’re thinking like a Luthor,”_ Lex grinned genuinely at Lena. It disturbed her. “ _If I knew you were going to do something so underhanded, I may have let you live. Taking yourself out of the line of fire when things go wrong. I love it. Maybe I’ll steal your idea. You did steal my company after all. And just so you know, I don’t give a shit what happens your public image or your name. You’re dead to me, Lena. Yes, I do want my company back—my life’s work back. I will usher the world into a new era. I just need you gone first, if for no other reason than to prove a point. No one crosses Lex Luthor. Especially not family. You should know that. Father would be disappointed in you. At least I have time to make things up to Mother.”_

“Lex…” Lena had nothing more to offer him. Their conversation was over. She couldn’t admit that his words had stung. He wouldn’t care.

 _“Sorry it had to come to this, Lena, sweetheart._ ” Lex smiled sadly. _“I will miss you terribly, but this is just how it goes sometimes.”_

Lena was about to speak again. To beg him to change his mind. But the frown he gave her told her he had made his decision. It was a look their parents used to threaten them with as children. _Don’t cry. Never show weakness._ She lowered her gaze and waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. After a moment she looked back up. The screen had gone dark.

No one dared say anything. This was bigger than anything Lex’s men could have anticipated. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, unspoken questions floating among them.

But a second later, those were all forgotten. The front door seemed to cave in on itself and there stood the one and only Supergirl, drenched in rain, radiating nothing but pure fury.

—

“And here I thought you guys just need Lena for an emergency consultation.” Kara’s eyes fell on Lena Luther. She had been bound to a chair with her back to the door. A dark monitor sat in front of her on a table and Kara could only assume that whoever orchestrated this wanted to speak with her before she was killed. Their oversight had saved Lena’s life.

“This isn’t looking good, boys.” Kara took a moment to assess the situation. Four human men, one hostage, and an otherwise empty cabin. They clearly hadn’t been expecting anyone to interfere, let alone Supergirl. “For you, of course.” That seemed to snap them out of their trance. Four guns were immediately drawn and aimed at Kara.

“She’s bulletproof, you idiots,” one of the henchmen called out loudly, as if to stop his men from doing anything foolish. After a moment of hesitation, he gave Kara a curious look, then pointed his Sig Sauer at Lena’s head. A smile of realization grew on his face. “But she isn’t, is she.”

Kara frowned and took a step forward. “Sure, you’re right. But i’m a bit disappointed. You should know that I’m so much more than just bulletproof.” Kara’s eyes glowed a bright red and the gun in his hand melted the instant her heat vision connected. He screamed and swore as his skin burned along with it.

Kara felt everyone tense for a moment before panic seemed to take over. The room suddenly erupted in a hail of gunfire. Kara used her superspeed to place herself protectively against Lena, covering her with as much of her cape as she could. Wrapping her hands firmly around her and the chair, she pushed off powerfully with her feet and vaulted the both of them out of the living room window. Kara tried her best to absorb as much of the impact as possible as the glass shattered against her head and back. They landed forcefully on muddy land, chased by an unending stream of bullets. Kara placed Lena, still tied, against the side of the cabin and took a moment to make sure she was relatively unharmed. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Luthor.” She straightened herself and smiled. “I’ll be right back, though. I’ve got some questions for those guys. I’m starting to think they aren’t real repairmen.” With a wink, Kara flew headfirst back through the broken window, leaving a bewildered Lena Luthor sitting in the rain.

—

Emerging suddenly through the window, Kara’s fist connected with the closest face she could find, sending the man flying toward the opposite wall. He was out immediately as his head connected, leaving an impressive dent. Someone lunged at her from the left and she bent, using his own momentum to topple him over onto the computer. Supergirl’s added force helped crack the table in half. Surprisingly, he got back on his feet and took a wild, shaky swing. Kara didn’t miss the terror in his eyes. He knew what would happen, but wouldn’t go down without a fight. She grabbed his arm once it had extended fully, lifted him off the ground, and once again slammed his body back to the floor. He didn’t move again. Two more left.

During all this, one of the men had been reloading his weapon, still not grasping the concept that his bullets couldn’t harm her. She took the opportunity to lunge at him and punched him once in the chest. Kara heard his heart stutter. As he collapsed to his knees in pain, she took her elbow and connected it with the top of his head. He crumpled to the ground with a loud grunt. Kara turned and was ready to lunge at the final kidnapper when she stopped suddenly, hesitating. She hadn’t noticed before, but he was covered in blood.

This was the man who had had the sense to aim his gun at Lena. He was most likely the one that had beaten her driver to death as well. There was something off about him. There was fear in his eyes, but it was mixed with something else. A kind of wildness Kara had only seen in animals. Not only that, but he looked vaguely familiar. As if they had met before, even if just in passing. She couldn’t identify the feeling he was giving off, but if there was anyone that needed putting down, it was definitely him. He made her skin crawl.

“Supergirl. This is truly an honour. I usually try to keep my business on the quiet side. No need angering a god like yourself unnecessarily. But then I got dragged into this mess.” He gestured at his comatose companions.

“I knew better, but I heard Lena Luthor’s name and,” he put on that crazy grin again, “I couldn’t help myself. And then Lex got involved. He’s got some serious plans for you, you know; you and your cousin. Actually, all of National City. I don’t really care whether or not you get a heads up, but I’m glad I told you. That look on your face is priceless.”

Kara hadn’t covered her surprise fast enough. Something told her this wasn’t the type of person she wanted to show weakness in front of. She tried to literally shrug off the bad vibes she was getting from him, rolling her shoulders and shaking her head to clear it. _This is ridiculous. He’s only human. He can’t hurt me. And yet…_

  
Suddenly, he lunged at Kara from across the room. She hadn’t been prepared for that. He was fast. His fist connected with her chest and he actually made her stumble backward a pace. Kara was stunned. Too stunned to protect herself from another blow, and she bowed when he landed another punch to her stomach. But he had broken both of his hands in the process. Kara was about to go on the offence but she didn’t get a chance to straighten herself before his forearms found the back of her head and his knee found her nose. Kara could hear the bones breaking in his leg. Finally he fell to the floor. He was tenacious, she’d give him that.

“Are you finished?” Kara asked. She righted herself and looked down at him. His face was twisted in pain, but that excited look hadn’t left him.

“You know, I’m disappointed that I never got to lay my hands on Lena Luthor. Such a beauty. Do you want to know what I was going to do with her?” Kara stopped dead in her tracks. Her blood began to boil.

“Don’t finish that though if you don’t want me kill you.”

“You don’t want to hear what I had planned? She’s lucky you came to her rescue. She would have been a magnificent addition to my collection. Maybe I would have kept her as a plaything. Lex wouldn’t have needed to know. She’d have been as good as dead, anyways.” He watched Kara’s face cloud in anger, beyond amused.

“I never thought I’d ever get the upper hand against a Super. You’re off your game, aren’t you?”

“Upperhand?” Kara asked through gritted teeth. She was livid. “Do you want to see what off my game looks like?” She wrapped her fingers around his neck and lifted him clear off the ground. She began to squeeze, keeping their eyes locked “I promise you won’t like it.” She wanted to watch whatever rotten thing he called his life leave his body. His eyes began to roll, but then they shifted to just behind Kara’s head and stayed trained there. Kara lowered him and turned to look as well. It was Superman. And he wasn’t impressed. Kara brought her attention back to the man she held in her tight grip. His eyes were bulging now. He had begun to stop struggling.

“We aren’t done,” she whispered. It was more to intimidate him than anything else; of course Superman had heard her threat. She threw him back against the wall and watched him struggle to relearn how to breathe. Finally she faced her cousin. Superman still hadn’t moved.

“Is the DEO on it’s way?” She walked past him through the broken front door, glass and splintered wood crunching under her feet.

“Yes, but you need to—Supergirl, where are you going?”

“I came here to save Lena Luthor. It seems my job is done, so I’m taking her home,” she answered simply.

“You know that’s not how this works. We need to debrief. We need talk about what just happened.”

“And we will. Once I get her taken care of. I’m not going to argue with you, Superman. Or are you going to try and stop me yourself?”

“This isn’t how the Justice League operates, Supergirl. What would have happened if I hadn’t shown up? Would you really have let your anger take over?”

Kara didn’t respond. She stared back, offering nothing. He decided to drop the topic for now. “ She still isn’t safe.”

“Well, I’m not leaving her here with you or the DEO.” Kara turned to glance at Lena who had been untied and was still seated in her chair, trying to respect the space of two angry gods. She was noticeably upset and drenched in rain, but thankfully still alive. “I know how you all feel about her family. She doesn’t need an interrogation right now. I’ll take care of her.”  
“I know you can take care of her. Your skills aren’t being questioned. But you need to learn how to...” Superman trailed off trying to find the words he needed. “Reign it in Kara. Jesus Christ. One of those men in there is dead.”

Kara had heard enough. “We’re not doing this now,” She turned away from Superman and walked over to Lena. “Are you hurt?”

Lena shook her head. “No. Thank you. Supergirl, I mean it. I can’t believe…” She trailed off, lost in thought for a minute. Suddenly she stood and made her way over to Superman on shaky legs.

“Thank you for all your help. If you don’t mind, though, I’d like for Supergirl to take me home. I’ve had a bit of a long day. In return, I’ll meet you wherever you wish tomorrow morning and answer any questions you may have. Is that fair?”

Superman looked at both women. They stared back expectantly. The fight seemed to leave his body all at once. He sighed heavily and nodded.

“Great.” Supergirl walked over to Lena and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Ready to fly?”

Superman watched on as they floated gently in the air, preparing to take off. He couldn’t keep the memories from flooding back as he watched Lena cling to Kara’s cape in apprehension, albeit very well masked. It reminded him of the first time he ever took Louis flying.

“You’d better show up tomorrow, Supergirl, this isn’t negotiable," he called helplessly after his cousin.

—

This wasn’t good. Superman closed his eyes and tried to control himself. Things were only getting messier. All of this was Lex’s doing, and he couldn’t help but blame himself. What was it going to take to stop any of this from ever happening again? And what was he going to do about Kara? As if reading his mind, Batman dropped silently beside him.

“Thanks for all the help,” Superman said tiredly.

Batman scoffed. “Help? You and I both know that’s the last thing she needed. I’m honestly very impressed.”

They both stepped into the cabin, taking in the incredible damage. Bullet casings everywhere, shattered windows, smashed walls, broken doors, and broken bones. Worst of all, a man gasping for air who had found a way to get under his cousin’s skin. It didn't seem like Kara was ready to let him go, either. 

More important than the events that had actually occurred were the implications hanging heavily in the aftermath. Lex still had significant reach, even from prison. Lena Luthor's life was in constant danger. _And Kara._ Kara was now personally invested. Superman didn’t know how much longer he could keep a lid on all of all this.

In the distance he could hear the sirens of a DEO response team approaching. He shook his head.

J’onn wasn’t going to like this at all.


	4. Acknowledgement

_**—Home of Lena Luthor, National City—** _

“Are you sure about this? I really don’t mind going through the front.” Kara’s hand rested on the handle of the sliding door leading into Lena Luthor’s penthouse. The pair stood on the balcony in the heavy rain quietly, neither wanting to provoke the other, both still trying to make sense of their eventful night.

Lena let out a sigh behind her and answered wearily. “Yes, it’s fine. I’ll get it fixed first thing tomorrow. If we used the front door, we’d be national news by sunrise. I want to stay ahead of this story.” Kara turned and waited for a confirming nod before pulling gently at the door. The lock snapped effortlessly and an alarm immediately began to blare. Lena hurried around Kara into the darkness of her home to deal with it. Kara didn’t need heightened senses to see how deftly she moved, picking up a tablet from a coffee table and silencing the noise with a few swipes of her finger. A phone began to ring somewhere within the flat and Lena left her standing outside to answer it.

The flight had been quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts. The few times they spoke were only to give and acknowledge directions. All the bravado seemed to leave Kara ever so slowly, and by the time her boots touched the balcony, reality had finally set in. Lena was in serious danger. Kara had never dealt with anything like this before. How could she possibly keep Lena safe? What would happen if she couldn’t? And what would that mean for everyone involved?

Bright lights pulled Kara from her musings. Lena had returned. She had already changed into dry clothes and was holding out a towel expectantly. She quirked an eyebrow and gave Kara a questioning look. “Are you going to come in? You’re letting in all the rain.” Kara couldn’t move quickly enough, tripping over herself to rush inside and close the door. She didn’t miss Lena’s amused smile. She took the towel and smiled back nervously, willing herself to relax before she accidentally broke something Kara Danvers couldn’t replace on her modest reporters salary.

And there was much to break. All at once Kara realized she was standing in the home of the one and only Lena Luthor: one of the most influential people in National City, CEO of the largest company in the country, heir to the Luthor empire. Lena’s home lived up to her title, reflecting her sharpness and elegance. Kara had to crane her neck to take in the high ceiling and wooden frames. Large, intricate art hung on white walls; tall sculptures sat proudly among beautiful indoor trees; stairs made of shiny black marble separated a living area from the rest of the flat; glass walls served as nothing more than reflective surfaces, leaving everything impossibly shiny. Once again Lena had to pull Kara from her thoughts. She let out a light laugh. “Do you like the art? I can give you a tour later if you’d like. I have a feeling you’ll love the aquarium.” Kara was speechless. A wide grin spread across her face and she could only offer an enthusiastic nod. “Would you like something to drink?” Lena turned and led Kara through to the kitchen with a smirk, not waiting for an answer.

Kara found herself leaning against Lena’s island countertop, unsure of what to do with herself. Thankfully Lena broke the ice first. “Would you like something a bit stronger than water? After the day I’ve had, I think I could use a drink.” Kara hesitated. She wanted to explain that Earth’s alcohol had no effect on her, but she thought better of it. She noticed that Lena’s heartbeat still hadn’t settled. Her hands were still subtly shaking in contrast to her relaxed, playful expression. And there was a haunted look in her eyes, barely recognizable, but there nonetheless. The last thing she wanted was to make Lena feel rejected in any way, as vulnerable as she was. She knew drinking alone was never fun.

“Of course. Thank you, Ms. Luthor.”

“Oh God, please call me Lena.” Lena chuckled as she moved around the kitchen putting ice in glasses and pouring scotch from a very impressive drinks cabinet. “I don’t think I ever thanked you properly,” she started nervously, handing Kara a glass. “But thank you, Supergirl. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up. How did you even know where to find me?” Kara pretended not to notice their hands brush as she took her glass, nor how cold Lena’s skin felt beneath her own. Her heart sank. What could she possibly be feeling right now, knowing her own brother would go to such lengths to kill her? She tried to push the dark thoughts away and focused instead on Lena’s grateful smile. She couldn’t help but mimic it.

“Honestly?” She asked, suddenly sheepish. Talking about her powers always brought about a feeling of self-consciousness. Lena settled into a chair across the table and nodded intently. She didn’t seem the least bit judgemental, so Kara soldiered on. “I was downtown and I heard you scream. Honestly, it was the most urgent sound I could pick up at the time. I knew something was wrong so I followed it to your car and…” Kara trailed off and had to avert Lena’s gaze. She had forgotten about the man she had found there. She wanted to kick herself for bringing him up.

But Lena didn’t skip a beat. “His name was Gregory.” She took a deep pull of her drink and spun her glass on the table distractedly, playing with her ice cubes as she spoke. “He’s worked under our family ever since he retired from carrying out special operations for the government. He’s—sorry, he was—my favourite bodyguard. I’ve known him for as long as I can remember. He always had a soft spot for me.” Lena smiled faintly into her glass, lost in memories. Kara felt as though she were intruding on a private moment and shifted her feet, trying to distract herself from the intense moment. “He used to do little things for me like bring me flowers on my birthday and take me for secret driving lessons.” Lena looked up at Kara suddenly with fire in her eyes. “What’s going to happen to the men that did this?”

Kara was taken by surprise at Lena’s sudden change in tone. She cleared her throat and stood up straight, trying to evoke a sense of surety that she didn’t feel. “I promise you, the police will handle this. And the DEO will be involved as well. They deal with more…sensitive incidents.” Kara tried to choose her words carefully, but she could tell Lena had already caught on.

“Im going to take a wild guess and say they handle alien activity? Since you and Superman came to my rescue, and given Lex’s long history with the man of steel.”

There was no use trying to minimize with Lena. She was very attentive. Kara smiled, visibly impressed. “Yes, like aliens. They work behind the scenes and take care of the more deadly threats facing our country.”

“So what are you going to do about Lex? He’s still in prison, but since he could get to me from behind bars, I doubt you can keep him locked up for much longer.” Lena straightened in her chair, suddenly very serious. “Listen, do not underestimate my brother. I did, and look where it got me. I’ll never make that mistake again.” Kara couldn’t help but pick up on the severity of her tone. Lena couldn’t possibly have already made plans to retaliate, could she? That would be— “Seriously, Supergirl, Lex should not be taken as joke. His threats are very real. Do you have a plan for what to do next?” Kara paused. She still hadn’t figured out a solution to their collective problem. Lena’s bright green eyes bore into hers, searching carefully for an answer that wasn’t there.

And then it seemed as though Lena took pity on her, laughing off the tense moment. “Well whatever happens, I truly do believe in you, Supergirl. You saved my life. I owe you, and stopping my brother is the least I can do.”

“Wait,” Kara's brain had caught up to Lena's words. “Did Lex tell you what his goals are? Is taking your life not his endgame?”

Lena laughed dryly, finishing off her drink in one swing. She reached for the bottle sitting between them and gave Kara a curious look while she refreshed her glass. “Oh, no, I’m merely a stepping stone on his path to glory. He has plans to restore Cadmus; revive his old projects. To finally kill Superman.. and you.”

Kara did nothing to hold back her surprise. Lena nodded sympathetically, searching Kara's eyes once again for mutual understanding. She leaned forward and refilled Kara's half-empty glass. "This is bigger than any one of us, Supergirl. So," she sat back and folded her arms across her chest. "About our next steps?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, exams got in the way. But now it's summer! Hope everyone's enjoying the new episodes as much as I am.  
> Sorry for the short chapter, just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about this. New chapter coming soon, hopefully.


	5. Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cant apologize enough for the hiatus, my summers are a cabin in the woods with no internet, taking care of rambunctious children all day. But I'm back! I hope you like this short chapter, just something to ease me back into writing again. 
> 
> Happy September, everyone!

_**—National City: NC Corrections—** _

Twenty minutes. It had been twenty minutes since Lex Luthor had been dragged from his cell in the middle of the night and placed in this miserable interrogation room. Lex could only assume his plans for his sister had gone awry—he hadn’t heard a word of Lena’s status one way or another. Morgan had enough sense and fear to return no matter how the operation had unfolded, meaning something worse than just a botched assassination had taken place. And Lex had a nagging suspicion that a Super was involved, to his ever-growing annoyance.

Metal clanged against metal as he rubbed his cuffed wrists against the underside of the table rhythmically. He was keeping time, but also trying to think of a way out of his situation. At this point, the amount of allies on his side was in serious question. Whether they were dead or detained, neither was good news for the oldest Luthor sibling. He had enjoyed many benefits from having his own people within these dreary prison walls, but his carefully built sanctuary could be crumbling around his ears as he sat around uselessly. And why else would they have pulled him in here at such an ungodly hour and left him to sit in silence for so long? If the authorities knew about his plans with Lena, he may have to postpone his escape for a while longer. How long could he hold out here? Lex could tell his rage was eating away at him slowly; more time and tighter security were the last things he needed. In the meantime, he could do nothing but seethe and count.

 _Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-thr—_ BOOM **.**

 _Oh…?_ Lex lifted his head in surprise. Then came another, more powerful _boom_.  
He could hear shouting voices giving way to obvious screams of pain as powerful gunshots rocked the building. Lex could do nothing but wait out the confusion, sinking lower in his chair to make himself a smaller target, cursing his wrist restraints. Finally the noise abruptly ceased, leaving a deadly silence in its wake.

 _OH._ This was getting more and more interesting. Finally the sound of footsteps began to approach, heavy and uncoordinated, as if whoever was stumbling along the hallway had been drinking. An eerie giggle grew into thunderous laughter, the voice manic and uncontrolled. Lex sat up straight in his chair. A sinister smile couldn’t help but spread across his face. He was ready to welcome the only person he knew fond of such extravagant entrances—and the Joker was always worth the wait.

_**—Home of Lena Luthor, National City—** _

It was 5AM and Lena Luthor was finally asleep. Kara lay on a couch in the CEO’s living room, periodically checking on her with her x-ray vision, scanning her vitals. She knew it was overkill—Lena hadn’t magically died since she last checked—but Kara was genuinely worried. After a long night of strategizing and uncomfortable small talk, Kara had gotten the bizarre privilege of sending one of the most powerful women in the world to bed as if she were a child. Given how drunk she had gotten, though, Kara was still struggling to find a difference.

Laying alone in the dark, with only the sounds of heavy rainfall to keep her company, Kara couldn’t help but replay the events of her night with Lena over and over again in her mind, trying her best to keep away thoughts of the kidnapping and what that would mean for tomorrow. She focused instead on Lena’s grace; how genuinely nice she was. How absurdly fast her brain worked, making connections Kara herself would have struggled to. She had to admit, she was still star-struck. Lena was everything she had imagined and more—even in the face of danger, insecurity, and excessive alcohol. It was motivating, and Kara was drawn to her stoicism. It made her feel infinitely stronger and she tried to channel it into something resembling confidence. Facing the DEO tomorrow would be difficult.

 _ **—DEO Headquarters, National City—**_  
  
“I have to admit, I’m not sure what to expect. Is Superman as amazing in person as he is on T.V.?” Lena Luthor joked nervously, trying to ease the growing tension that seemed to have overcome Supergirl between leaving her apartment and arriving at the DEO. Supergirl looked over at her in surprise, very distracted and clearly not in the right mindset for jokes. The hero tried to stand taller and retained a focused expression, but Lena could see the mask slip from time to time, giving way to agitation. Lena suppressed a smile, not wanting to make light of her distress, though it was amusing—It seemed that even heroes had bosses to answer to.

“Is Superman amazing? I… I guess,” Supergirl answered, turning back to the DEO building and training her eyes on something within the grey walls that Lena couldn’t see. “He doesn’t seem too happy at the moment, though.”

Lena looked up as well, talking in the glass tower. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought they were walking into just another one of National City’s many nameless businesses, as opposed to one of the most covert government agencies in the world. She was very impressed.

“Yes, you were quite… flippant with him last night. I’m sure your employers will have a few words for you today. A hero’s work is never done.” Lena felt invasive eyes focus on her again as she spoke. Supergirl was doing that thing where she seemed to look inside of her, not at her. She had been doing it all of last night and Lena still hadn’t decided how she felt about it. “Well, shall we?” To Supergirl’s surprise, Lena began walking ahead into the building, once again not waiting to make sure she followed but knowing she would.

—

“Thank-you very much, Ms. Luthor,” J’onn stood from the briefing table, extending his hand to a beaming Lena Luthor. Kara watched on in admiration. It was poised to be a gruelling few hours of questioning, but Lena somehow found a way to make it not only pleasant, but brief. It was nothing short of fun to watch her verbally spar with J’onn and Superman. By her account, Kara seemed to have somehow saved not only Lena but all of National City the previous night.

“Ms. Luthor,” Superman started, sincerity written all over his face. “I promise, we’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe from Lex. You have my word.”

“Thank-you, Superman. That means a lot coming from you. I didn’t think you’d ever show such concern towards a Luthor.” Lena lifted her chin ever so slightly as she spoke, unable to hide her automatic mistrust.

“What Lex did to you was unforgivable and I’m here to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Your safety is all of our concern. And Lex…” he averted his gaze from Lena’s, speaking more to himself now. “Lex is my problem.”

Lena stared at him for a beat, uncertain, but eventually nodded in agreement. “I’ll hold you to that.”

—

“Kara, how did it go?” Kara turned towards the voice and watched as her sister jogged towards her, abandoning an important-looking conversation. That gesture never failed to make Kara smile.

“Really well, actually,” Kara shrugged. “Lena was great, she even managed to charm the pants off J’onn. I didn’t even know that was possible.”

“I’m impressed.” Alex smiled wide but Kara didn’t miss the concern in her eyes as Alex scanned her for any sign of distress. “Did they take it easy on you? I couldn't care less about the politics, I’m just glad you’re alright. I was beyond worried last night.”

Kara lowered her guard even more, truly looking at her sister. She seemed more than just a little tired. Kara pulled Alex into her arms, squeezing in a way she reserved only for her; a little too tight but just enough to make her point. “I’m sorry. I should have called. Its just…this is a lot more complicated than I imagined.”

“I know.” Alex squeezed back before pulling away. “Look, I’ve already been briefed on the situation. We’re going to handle this, I promise.”

“Of course.” Kara smiled as genuinely as she could, but she could still feel a sense of dread eating away at her. She knew this was her job—that Alex had been fighting aliens and monsters for longer than she was even aware of. Even so, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was putting everyone in serious danger.

And if she had any idea what was coming next, she would never have taken that gut instinct so lightly.


	6. Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Supercorp is back and so am I, friends! Enjoy.

_—L-Corp Tower, National City—_

 

 _Kara Danvers_. _Hmm_. The name was familiar. Lena turned the four-syllables around in her head trying to attach them to a memory, no matter how vague. She stared at a photograph of the reporter which she had found easily on CatCo’s official website. A beaming blonde smiled back, all innocence and excitement. But Lena couldn’t place her—how could she ever forget such a lovely face?

Lena checked her watch once again. Ten minutes until Ms. Danvers arrived for her exclusive. She sighed and stood, walking over to her window to look down over National City with a frown. It wasn’t what she wanted to do today.

After her meeting with Supergirl and the DEO that morning, she had wanted to go straight to her office to bury herself in work in order to regain some notion of control. Instead she was greeted by a small mob of reporters camped outside L-Corp as close to the entrance as they dared, knowing full-well that Lena’s security did not mess about. Somehow those spineless weasels had caught wind of last night’s events. From the questions they asked, they didn’t have the full story, but Lena knew it wouldn’t take long for them to figure out the details. And she knew first hand that some of them were not above speculation (a generous term, just barely above calling the lot of them liars).

And then Cat Grant was calling. And wouldn’t stop calling until Lena answered. And she had to, it was Cat Grant after all. The two powerful women had butted heads when Lena had first taken over Luthor Corp. As usual, the media was out for Luthor blood, and she was the next in line for sacrifice. Lex was old news—writing about him was like beating a dead horse. But Lena? She was new, beautiful, a blank slate to take aim at and label with whatever stuck. No one wanted to take the time to know her. Except Cat Grant. And Lena had held on to that lifeline for dear life. Cat was a shark and Lena was her next big meal.

She was no fool; Lena saw Cat for what she was. And it was this honesty she admired most. They had something of a deal—Lena would keep CatCo up to date with exclusives, and Cat would personally triple-check any news they published about her, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant. The arrangement had worked well for Lena. Eventually, the public grew to scrutinize anything they heard involving the Luthors unless it came from CatCo first, unknowingly fuelling her good press by their shallow eagerness to watch her fall. Lena understood Cat’s determination to hold her to a high standard of transparency, and she was up for the challenge.

Today, though, was not a good day. Even she couldn’t deny the emotional toll her kidnapping had taken on her. And if she was being honest with herself, her body still hadn’t recovered. This was when normal people would take time off to recalibrate. Lena chuckled dryly at the thought. _Normal_. She wondered what that was like.

And then all of a sudden, the perfect example came strolling through her door. Kara’s picture hadn’t quite captured her energy, though it tried. Lena felt it all at once; in her gracious smile, in her relaxed but respectful stride, in her beautiful, shy eyes. She was unpolished and so normal.  
Lena smiled widely as well, walking around her desk with an arm outstretched for a handshake. “Ms. Danvers, thank you for coming. Shall we begin?”

  
—

“You know, you don’t need to hover. If you’re really that adamant about keeping an eye on me, you may as well just come inside.” Lena spoke quietly to a large, empty office, never breaking eye contact with her laptop screen as her fingers danced on the keyboard. A moment later Supergirl landed on her balcony with a soft _thud_.

At some point after a surprisingly pleasant interview with Kara Danvers, Supergirl had returned once again to watch over her. She knew it wasn’t necessary. Lex Luthor was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He wouldn’t make another attempt on her life until it was beneficial for him to do so. With the wrath of the entire DEO and the most powerful members of the Justice League raining down upon him at the moment, there was nothing he could do about her still being alive. Yet Supergirl lingered, to Lena’s amusement.

“Don’t you have a city to save? Surely you could be spending your time more wisely.” Lena carefully considered the revisions she had made to a faulty mathematical formula regarding their patented vehicles before sending it to her Head of Research who wouldn’t see it for a few more hours since it was four in the morning. She sent it again to the automotive department directly, hoping the night shift wasn’t slacking off. She wanted a reply immediately. She needed something to occupy her time, to keep thoughts of impending chaos at bay if only for a few more hours.

Lena turned her chair to face Supergirl, who seemed as if she always needed multiple invitations to enter her space. “Please, come in. Would you like some water?” She stood and went to her office bar, pouring water for her new companion and whiskey for herself. “I’m sure you’re not allowed to drink on duty,” she teased, handing a crystal glass to Supergirl. For the second time that day, she picked up agitation on the hero’s face. “I never would have gotten myself kidnapped if I knew it would bring you so much distress.” Her green eyes peered into Kara’s over the rim of her glass as she took a deep sip.

“No, that’s not it at all,” Kara finally looked up at Lena, not sure how to convey her thoughts. She had a feeling that something was amiss. As if the world was out of balance and each passing moment was stripping her of all control over their situation. Something bad was going to happen very soon. “It’s just…how can you be so calm?”

Lena led Kara out onto her office balcony, resting her body on the railing, her glass swinging precariously between two fingers. “My entire life has been full of uncertainty,” she started, nodding to her drink. Kara stood beside her and they watched National City pulse and glow in the moonlight together. “If I reacted every time someone threatened my life, or the lives of my family members, or my happiness, or my success, well then…” Lena trailed off, lost in thought.

And in that moment, Kara understood. It wasn’t that Lena wasn’t afraid, it was that she was so used to living in constant turmoil. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like to grow up as a Luthor. Their family name was infamous, even before Lex’s descent into madness. Her lineage was steeped in criminal activity and violence, their great name evoking a sense of fear before anything positive. And on top of such a damning history hanging over her, Lena was also adopted. Kara couldn’t picture Lena’s upbringing as anything but difficult, having to prove herself over and over again to a family that merited only success and ruthlessness. Fitting into such a complicated puzzle must have been difficult. Kara wondered…  
“Did you ever feel left out? I mean, did you ever feel like you fit in with your family? I’m not trying to pry, but I was adopted myself. Not once did I not feel entirely surrounded by love, but as Supergirl, I can’t seem to find a place for myself here. I know our circumstances are different, but see, I don’t think it’s by much. Does that make sense? Does the feeling of not belonging ever wear off? Unless you have no idea what I mean, but I can’t imagine you’ve never felt a little… out of place?”

Lena laughed gently at Supergirl’s rambling and turned to face her. She was absolutely beautiful in a way Lena had never observed in another human being. It seemed Lena had forgotten that she was from another planet entirely, which was fair—she had never actually met Supergirl before her assassination attempt. She was always mythicized as a hero; a god; a fantastic being one could only get the privilege of meeting once, regardless of the circumstances surrounding why. But looking at her now, so vulnerable and conflicted, there was something truly other-worldly about her. She looked as if she physically did carry the weight of millions on her shoulders. It was such a raw, tangible feeling; Lena was almost embarrassed for not acknowledging the simple fact a lot sooner. Supergirl is an _alien_. The idea was so easy to overlook when thinking of her as an idea. She wasn’t, she was very real. Seeing her in this moment was more than Lena could take. The word _magical_ floated into her mind for a second before she dismissed it.

 _“…but as Supergirl, I can’t seem to find a place for myself here.”_ Lena was overcome in an instant by how powerful Supergirl really was. More importantly, she was struck by how universal and insidious loneliness could be. It was as if God himself had asked for advice on a personal matter. Lena truly didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t think I’m qualified to give you advice, Supergirl, though I will say this as humbly as I can:” Lena took another sip of her drink and turned her attention back to National City’s skyline, as difficult as it was to tear her eyes away from the closest she had ever come to witnessing a miracle. She spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Finding the right people to share yourself with will help greatly. Abiding by your own morals and values will help greatly. Choosing your sanity over the wishes of others you feel as though you can’t let down—that will help greatly. Trusting yourself will lead you to where you need to be.”

Kara took more than a minute to digest what Lena had told her. “And have you found the right people? Do you feel as though you’re where you need to be?”

Lena smiled wearily at her. “I’ll let you know when I do, I promise.”


End file.
